runawaymun-rp

[runawaymun-rp]

Maeven's attention flicked to Joelle, though Seamus shifted a little back into her line of sight and put a hand on Joelle's shoulder instinctively just as it did.

Still, she said: "Goodbye, mon cherie, it was lovely having you."

Seamus directed Joelle out without saying anything to her. He was silent as they headed down the hall to the entryway. Silent as Joelle got her things back from Jacques. Silent as they went out to the car and Seamus waited for Joelle to get in first and shut the door after her. Silent as he got in, shut his door, and locked the car. His hands shook as he pressed the ignition and gripped the steering wheel.

Only after they drove out under the gate did he finally, very quietly say:

"We would have taken you to meet them after you turned eighteen if you wanted, just like Daniel. You couldn't wait one more year?"

Joelle had never seen her dad so angry before. He was furious. All her arguments died in her throat and she did as she was told, standing to leave.

She did, however, say to Maeven. "It was really nice to meet you, Grandmother."

[runawaymun-rp]

Seventeen. She's seventeen, and she has no idea of the danger she's in. Seamus forcibly reminded himself of that as he held his mother's glittering gaze.

"Yes, Seamus. Here you come, ruining all our fun," Maeven said. "And we were having such a lovely conversation, Joelle and I. She was just telling me about her school friends, and Selena's little debate club-- she sounds so much like you! And little Jaime, oh he's a writer? An artist. So sensitive, it sounds like." Her smile was widening to bared teeth. "Daniel, well...we know Daniel. But it's a delight to get to hear about all of the others--"

"--Be quiet," Seamus snapped. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. "Don't you say their names. Don't you talk about them. We're leaving. Joelle, let's go. Now."

Joelle and Maeven settled back into conversation after her grandfather left, but it was again interrupted not long after by the door slamming open and her dad of all people storming in.

"Shit," she hissed, then, crossing her arms and glaring at her dad for making such a big deal out of it all. "Hi, Dad. Sorry I didn't tell you I was coming here. I knew you'd say no, but I'm seventeen and I can make my own choices. Aren't you supposed to be at work anyway?"

[runawaymun-rp]

And she sounded exactly just like her, too.

"Hugh Sr.," he corrected immediately. He hoped that his grandchildren at least knew that. The polite, grandfatherly sort of thing one ought to say was well, you are welcome any time, or we're glad to have you, or, you might stay for dinner, but none of these things were true. Instead he straightened his jacket and said, "I hope your stay has been pleasant. Unfortunately I have somethings to attend to, but perhaps I may join you two later."

Maeven's expression immediately soured, but Hugh. Sr. gave her a significant look, and she sweetened again.

After that, Hugh Sr. excused himself, went upstairs, and called Seamus' work cell. He knew he was well and truly blocked on his personal, but they still occasionally had to pretend to be civil for things related to the Dail.

After several rings, Seamus finally picked up.

"We aren't collaberating on anything, and I am not swapping my vote."

"That is not what this is about," Hugh. Sr. said, and before Seamus could hang up, he went on: "Joelle is here."

The line was quiet for a good thirty seconds.

"What?"

"Joelle is here," Hugh Sr. repeated very slowly, and very evenly.

"At-- at the house?"

"Yes. Presently downstairs taking tea with your mother. Jacques says she has been here for several hours now."

"What do you mean she's with maman?"

"Don't you dare take that tone with me. Just come and pick up your daughter, Seamus. Maeven's in a good mood and Jacques is keeping an eye on them. Perhaps, don't let it happen again? We are not an au pair service."

It came over the phone in a hiss: "What the fuck." and then the line clicked.

Hugh Sr. settled down at his desk and then started reviewing his stack of reports.

It took another hour-- he must have been speeding-- for Seamus' black car to zoom past the gate and up the drive.

---

Seamus' heart was in his mouth. He couldn't imagine what would posses Joelle to come here alone. He slammed his car door shut, took the steps up to that (horrible, awful, ugly) house, and when Jacques opened the door to greet him, he whirled on him and snarled: "Next time, you call me."

Jacques muttered some kind of apology, but Seamus didn't listen. He stormed down the hall and burst into the drawing room.

There was Joelle, sitting on one of the couches. His mother sat opposite. At the intrusion, she looked up, and her face brightened and twisted into a terrible smile.

"Seamus."

It was like something out of his nightmares. He felt sick to his stomach, skin crawling all over like he's covered in ants. He cut across the room to stand between them in half a second, hedging Joelle behind him.

"Maman."

Lord, but if she didn't look like her mother. That was a disappointment.

Hugh Sr. had come out of sheer curiosity the second that Jacques had mentioned that his granddaughter, of all people, was taking tea, of all things, with Maeven.

Maeven looked unusually...pleased. She reclined in her chair, glass balanced in her hand, a Cheshire smile curling on her mouth. That never meant good things.

"Joelle," he guessed. If he remembered rightly Seamus only had two girls, and only one of them was blonde.

[runawaymun-rp]

Lord, but if she didn't look like her mother. That was a disappointment.

Hugh Sr. had come out of sheer curiosity the second that Jacques had mentioned that his granddaughter, of all people, was taking tea, of all things, with Maeven.

Maeven looked unusually...pleased. She reclined in her chair, glass balanced in her hand, a Cheshire smile curling on her mouth. That never meant good things.

"Joelle," he guessed. If he remembered rightly Seamus only had two girls, and only one of them was blonde.

Joelle was just as happy to talk about her life as she was to lap up stories about her grandmother's. She was about to answer a question Maeven brought up about some family drama on her mum's side with Aunt Eva and Grandma Eimile when the front door opened.

Joelle looked over her shoulder to the hallway as the footsteps neared and sure enough there was her grandfather at the parlor door. She'd never seen him in person before. He was just as tall her dad, but had a sterner look about him.

She waved, offering her brightest smile.

[runawaymun-rp]

Only Daniel's name was distantly familiar. Selena and Jaime were completely new. Maeven wasn't so much interested in the idea of grandchildren as she was gossip, and something of value which she knew Seamus had been keeping from her.

So she asked about each sibling in turn, acting as if she truly was interested in every little trite fact which Joelle offered up unwittingly. This went on for quite some time, until distantly the front door could be heard opening and shutting, echoing through the cavernous house, and then footsteps.

"Ah, your grandfather is home."

"Just secondary. But I do gymnastics, ballet, and voice lessons on top of that. And French, but Jamie's way better at it than Daniel, Selena, and myself, which he always has to rub in my face."

[runawaymun-rp]

This did, admittedly, make Maeven preen a little. Even if the person saying so was so ill-mannered.

Speaking of which...

"...yes, well, it's only partly a product of good breeding. I hope that Seamus is sending you to a good school? Have you been to any sort of...finishing classes, yet?"

Joelle's eye brightened. "My dad never said you were so cool!" Remembering herself, and remembering how sophisticated her grandmother was, she fixed her posture and said, "I mean, you're fashionable and cosmopolitan and, like, a proper socialite."

[runawaymun-rp]

It was a suspicious thing to ask about. Maggie would mention it to Seamus. It could just as well be harmless, but it was better to be cautious now, rather than regret it later. She was too new. They just didn't know enough about her yet.

(Beyond that, though, Maggie had never seen an Eldina take so well to being told no. Even Ultana. It could be an act. Still...)

In any case, she and Ultana slid right along into some more house matters. The more delicate and complex budgetary and scheduling needs could be discussed later, as could house gossip, away from Sinead's ears.

At last, the pair of them wrapped up, and then Ultana decided to walk Sinead back to Seamus' house.

Sinead gave a small bow of her head to Bai Maggie. "Thank you."

She regretted asking. It had been a terribly presumptuous thing to ask, especially when there was so little chance this would be permanent. All she could pray now was that Ena. Ultana and Bai Maggie didn't think her to be acting above her station, or worse yet, worthy of suspicion. And it was suspicious, wasn't it? To ask such information. She meant it in earnest as a way to know the House, but what if they read into it?

She kept her mouth shut for fear that any further words on the matter would only make things worse.

[runawaymun-rp]

"Oh, all of them," she said, which may have been a stretch. But she was friends with most. "Virginie Viard, Alexandre Vauthier, Juan-Paul Gaultier..." She waved her hand, as if it was all so inconsiquential. "We just had dinner with Virginie last week."

Joelle had to remind herself that her grandmother was very old, very rich, and very white. Not that Joelle wasn't the last two, but she liked to think she had at least more self-awareness about it.

"Were you friends with a lot of fashion designers in France?" she asked, hoping to change the topic away from, well... that.

[runawaymun-rp]

"No you may not," Maggie replied, blunt as ever -- especially for one in her class. She crossed her arms over her chest and added, "But, should my Eldarin choose to wed you, then yes, of course."

Handing out the names of anybody in management was a terrible idea. It made them targets for bribery or threats -- it was too tempting to try and turn any one of them into spies, and they would be very valuable spies indeed. Even if the Eldina didn't intend to, if she left the House and went back to her own-- someone could potentially get that information out of her.

Sinead nodded. The second half was the important part. She had no delusions of self-importance or rank within House O'Neill.

"Thank you for this clarity, my Eldina," she said with a small bow of her head. She deliberated a moment, before deciding to go forward with a question she'd been uncertain of whether to ask or not. "If I may make a request, Bai Maggie, which it is within your right as steward to reject until a later date, and it would be understandable as I am new to this House and my position's permanence is in the hands of our Eldarin... Might I have a list of the staff in positions of management, so I might familiarize myself with them? Or perhaps arrange introductions? If you would consider it beneficial in my understanding of the House structure."

[runawaymun-rp]

If it were anyone else, that may have been a perfectly reasonable thing to say. The correct thing to say. But Maeven...

One eyebrow arched, and she went back to her drink.

"Well, we were good friends. Coco and I. I just didn't fancy wearing most of her designs."

This was a safer course for the conversation to take. The lines in Maeven's face softened again to something almost genial.

"Oh, Versace and Christian Louboutin."

[runawaymun-rp]

This was a safer course for the conversation to take. The lines in Maeven's face softened again to something almost genial.

"Oh, Versace and Christian Louboutin."

Joelle sensed she'd inadvertently hit a nerve. Rather than press the topic, curious as she was, she ate another macaron from the snack tray, then said, "My dad says you always go to Fashion Week in Paris. Who are your favorite designers?"

More accurately, her parents talked about avoiding her at Fashion Week in Paris, just as they talked about avoiding one of her dad's old ex-girlfriends at Fashion Week in New York. It seemed her dad had a lot of people to avoid in the fashion world.

[runawaymun-rp]

For a second, Maeven's eyes hardened and seemed to glitter. She studied Joelle for a beat, then another, then another, as if deciding something, or deliberating.

Then, her mouth twitched unpleasantly, and she turned back to her wine glass.

"No. I don't suppose you can."

"But do you ever wish things were different? That you'd married someone you picked yourself? Or that you'd never married at all?"

As soon as she asked it, Joelle began to worry it was a rude question.

"Sorry, I just mean... um... I can't imagine having a big decision like that decided for me."

[runawaymun-rp]

"Well," it was an airy, unpleasant sound. Maeven patted her hair and took another long sip of her wine. "That was just how things were among our class when I was your age. My parents made the decision about who I would marry and when. I can't say it hasn't worked in my favor."

"Marriage," Maeven said, "Though that's hardly interesting, is it?"

[runawaymun-rp]

"Marriage," Maeven said, "Though that's hardly interesting, is it?"

"So what brought you back?"

[runawaymun-rp]

Ultana clasped her hands in front of her.

"Good. We needn't bore you with a shopping list, Eldina Maeven," she went on, casting a sidelong glance at her mother-in-law. "Does that conclude the weekly budget, Bai Maggie?"

"It does," Maggie said, though there was a significant glance shared between her and Ultana that said that it was nothing of the sort, and this was merely to satisfy Rosemary and send her on the way.

"Well then," Rosemary said, standing, and sing-songed: "Until next week, ladies."

"Until next week," Ultana said with a saccharine-sweet smile.

She left, and Maeven after her, and then both Ultana and Maggie exhaled a sigh of relief together.

Sinead paid close attention to every word that was spoken while making herself as unobtrusive as possible. Ena. Maeven was a shard of glass thrust onto the floor. The other three women stepped around her with care in their conversation as they discussed House business. But then she spoke, a sharp cut that stabbed Sinead and made her heart jump.

“Yes, my Eldina,” she managed quietly. With a breath she steadied the tremble in her voice. “I trust your judgement and am honored to be taken under your tutelage.”

[runawaymun-rp]

"For education," Maeven finished simply, "To be a lady and to make friends in good society. There was nothing of the sort here."

“What kind of opportunity?” Joelle leaned forward and asked, not knowing if she meant social life, boys, career, or some other great dream.

[runawaymun-rp]

Celebrían's heart twisted as she listened. What a truly awful dream!

She kissed his head.

"It wasn't real; I am here with you now."

Elrond sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he recalled his nightmare.

"I was an elfling again, with my brother, and we were running away from something--I can't tell you what, but I was so terrified. Elros fell, and I watched as the thing got him right in front of me. I could hear his screams and feel the pain that he was in. It was truly awful, Cel,"

He had to blink back tears as they were forming.